1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,560
Alright James for Beginners: Practical Christianity. This is lesson number 10 in this series,
2
00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,920
entitled 4 PS's From James.
3
00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:19,820
If the Lord is willing we will cover James chapter 5, verse 7 to the end, verse 20, in this lesson.
4
00:00:19,820 --> 00:00:23,580
The final lesson in this series.
5
00:00:23,580 --> 00:00:31,160
So I'd like to review what we have covered in this book so far, as a, kind of, an overall review.
6
00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:36,960
You may have missed a couple of lessons here and there, so you'll be able to pick up some of the high points.
7
00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:42,260
Then, after that we'll cover the final verses
where James, himself,
8
00:00:42,260 --> 00:00:46,840
leaves his readers with some things that
they need to remember
9
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,420
after having read his letter.
First, let's start with the review.
10
00:00:52,420 --> 00:00:58,600
The Jewish Christians to whom James was writing
11
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:05,160
were discouraged because of the alienation they were suffering as a result of their surroundings.
12
00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,620
That was the purpose for the letter.
13
00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:16,040
Some of the things that they were suffering as a culture, a Jewish culture,
14
00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,420
they were isolated because of Jewish custom and Jewish practices,
15
00:01:20,420 --> 00:01:25,820
which made them very different than the gentile community that surrounded them.
16
00:01:25,820 --> 00:01:28,800
I mean the Jews were dispersed from
17
00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,280
their homeland, from Israel, for a variety of reasons;
18
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:41,779
because of persecution and other things, but also because they were traders, they were businessmen.
19
00:01:41,779 --> 00:01:47,840
They set up in different cities
throughout the Roman Empire.
20
00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:53,130
And wherever they set up, obviously, they established a synagogue, a place of prayer.
21
00:01:53,130 --> 00:02:00,360
And so, they were, kind of, a small little community there in various pagan cities,
22
00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,020
alone to themselves. Now, imagine,
23
00:02:03,020 --> 00:02:10,887
they're already a minority, Jews, in the majority gentile pagan lands, where they were.
24
00:02:10,887 --> 00:02:18,180
And then some of these Jews, who are already a minority, become Christians.
25
00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:22,140
So now they are a minority within a minority.
26
00:02:22,140 --> 00:02:26,920
And that was the problem,
they were feeling the pressure.
27
00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:35,280
So, as I say, as Christians, they were not only isolated from the gentile surroundings, but they were also
28
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:41,480
alienated because of their moral code.
Their spiritual aspirations
29
00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:48,480
were so much higher and nobler than the pagans that they lived with.
30
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:54,500
And their conversion to Christianity put them at odds with their Jewish brethren,
31
00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:56,680
meaning their cultural brethren. So they were isolated.
32
00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:05,880
In time, a lot of them began to realize that Christianity was not just some sort of doctrinal adjustment or
33
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:11,800
some sort of appendage to Jewish tradition.
They realized that
34
00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:18,180
Christianity wasn't just another form of Judaism. It was something completely,
35
00:03:18,180 --> 00:03:25,300
completely different. It represented a radical change of attitude and activity in one's life.
36
00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:27,220
A change that was absolutely
37
00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:34,320
necessary if they were to survive the persecution and the isolation. Now think,
38
00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:42,380
here are these Jews living among gentiles, when they were Jews they had memories of being in Jerusalem -
39
00:03:42,380 --> 00:03:49,860
the holidays, the feasts, the magnificent temple, the priests and their garments,
40
00:03:49,860 --> 00:03:58,160
the parades, the worship, the sacrifice, all the pomp and ceremony of the Jewish religion.
41
00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,480
And now they had become Christians.
42
00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,140
They were meeting in homes.
43
00:04:05,140 --> 00:04:12,200
The most elaborate ceremony was the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.
44
00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,580
That was the only ceremony.
45
00:04:15,580 --> 00:04:20,980
There were no robes. There was no pomp. There was no ceremony. There were no parades.
46
00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:23,940
There was no hierarchy.
47
00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:30,400
They were feeling, not only am I isolated, they were starting to be culturally
48
00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:36,060
homesick for their old religion, because this new religion, it didn't match up
49
00:04:36,060 --> 00:04:39,260
with the one that they had. And so, they were
50
00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:46,880
thinking of maybe going back to Judaism, or thinking of letting go their Christian faith.
51
00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,120
So James writes to these people to encourage them.
52
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:58,520
If we were to summarize this book, we would say that James explains the six ways
53
00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:01,420
that Christians are different.
54
00:05:01,420 --> 00:05:08,280
Six ways that Christians have changed, in order to reflect the sincerity of their faith and
55
00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:13,440
thus survive in a world of disbelief.
56
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:19,860
You see, if there's no change, well then,
there's no survival.
57
00:05:19,860 --> 00:05:23,100
Two-thousand years has gone by, nothing has changed.
58
00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:27,710
If you don't change - if when you become a Christian, if there's no change in your life,
59
00:05:27,710 --> 00:05:34,080
you're not going to survive as a Christian. You'll survive as something, but not as a Christian.
60
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:40,540
Six ways that Christians are different, here's how: number one, according to James,
61
00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:47,320
Christians rejoice when there are problems, knowing that perseverance through trials brings
62
00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:53,200
spiritual growth. I'm not going to read all the passages here because I'd have to read the entire book over again.
63
00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:54,280
We don't have time.
64
00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:59,080
That would be chapter 1, verses 1 to 11. In other words, people in the world may resign themselves,
65
00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,340
or they may become angry, or they may be
depressed at adversity,
66
00:06:04,340 --> 00:06:14,980
but the Christian responds to trials and adversity with joy, knowing that when trouble is near, so is the Lord.
67
00:06:14,980 --> 00:06:21,100
I used to make this mental image, when I personally was going through trials and difficulties like that.
68
00:06:21,100 --> 00:06:29,920
I would imagine the work cones with the yellow ribbon, to tell people, you have to go around here.
69
00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,640
There's work going on in here, men at work.
70
00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:40,640
I used to think, well, Jesus has put those cones around me as well, and put a ribbon.
71
00:06:40,649 --> 00:06:48,409
Jesus was at work here in my life. It's messy, there are holes there. There are detours. There is inconvenience.
72
00:06:48,409 --> 00:06:51,960
Why? Well, because the Lord is at work here.
73
00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:56,940
The work will be finished, and it'll be better when it's over, but in the meantime,
74
00:06:56,940 --> 00:07:00,700
we need to hang in there. We need to persevere.
75
00:07:00,700 --> 00:07:05,640
And so the first way that a Christian is different is
that he or she
76
00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:12,180
rejoices when there are problems, knowing that Christ is working in their lives. Number two,
77
00:07:12,180 --> 00:07:17,520
Christians respond to temptation by taking action against sin,
78
00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:22,840
not succumbing to sin or making excuses for sin.
79
00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:28,300
James chapter 1:12-18 and 4:1-10,
repeats this idea twice.
80
00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:33,820
Godly people expect temptation and they deal with it through prayer and
81
00:07:33,820 --> 00:07:37,020
self-control, the knowledge of God's word.
82
00:07:37,020 --> 00:07:43,640
Not rationalization for unrighteous behavior. Some people put so much work into the rationalization.
83
00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:49,400
Why don't you just admit the thing is a sin? It's going to be hard to deal with it.
84
00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:56,860
It's like, you watch movies, heist movies - you know what a heist movie is? A bunch of thieves planning a big
85
00:07:56,860 --> 00:08:02,460
casino heist or something, and all the ingenious things they are going to do to foil the
86
00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:06,460
security system and break into the safe and the whole movie is about how they do that. Sometimes
87
00:08:06,460 --> 00:08:09,300
they get caught, sometimes they don't, but the thing you're thinking,
88
00:08:09,300 --> 00:08:14,480
boy, these guys have spent so much time and money and effort and energy and everything,
89
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:21,460
If they just did that into a legitimate enterprise, they'd be successful, right?
90
00:08:21,460 --> 00:08:25,880
Well, in the same way, if we put as much energy in dealing with
91
00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:30,500
temptation as we do in making excuses for ourselves, we'd have more success.
92
00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:32,960
And that's what James is saying here.
93
00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:41,720
Number three, Christians not only hear the word, they do what the word teaches them to do.
94
00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:47,420
Again, chapter 1:19-27 and then 2:14-26.
95
00:08:47,420 --> 00:08:53,720
Now, where much of the New Testament focuses on explaining what Christians believe,
96
00:08:53,720 --> 00:09:01,420
James zeroes in on what Christians ought to do in order to demonstrate that they really do believe.
97
00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:08,520
He's very short on doctrine. He's very long on, how do you get things done?
98
00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:15,160
According to James, the sincerity of your faith is seen in your walk and not in your talk.
99
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,560
Plenty of talkers, plenty of talkers.
100
00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:28,460
Number four, Christians are not prejudice. Chapter 2:1-13, chapter 4: 11 and 12.
101
00:09:28,460 --> 00:09:33,600
Unlike the world around them, disciples of Jesus are exclusive in matters of faith,
102
00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:40,100
but they are inclusive in matters of love.
103
00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:48,700
I don't accept everything that other people believe because I test what other people believe against God's word.
104
00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:57,780
But as a Christian, I ought to accept everyone, regardless of their beliefs or their colors or whatever, in love.
105
00:09:57,780 --> 00:10:00,580
Unfortunately, in the world they don't always see that.
106
00:10:00,580 --> 00:10:07,180
They accuse us of being narrow-minded and racist because we question people's beliefs.
107
00:10:07,180 --> 00:10:11,540
We're not afraid to say, I don't believe that this religion is legitimate, or here's the hole in that argument,
108
00:10:11,540 --> 00:10:15,740
or this is the fallacy with this philosophy.
109
00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:16,760
We're allowed to do that.
110
00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:25,680
We're allowed to judge the thinking, the philosophy, the religion of other people, and compare it to God's word.
111
00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:38,840
But just because they may be in error according to God's word, doesn't justify us not loving them.
112
00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,920
In other words, we believe that
only Christians are saved.
113
00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:49,260
But Christians themselves ought to love everyone regardless of their social, cultural, or
114
00:10:49,260 --> 00:10:55,000
religious background. In this day and age, I mean, obviously with Islam and the
115
00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:01,080
terrorism that's going on around the world, taking, of course, all the -sucking up all the oxygen
116
00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,240
in the room, as far as the news is concerned and
117
00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:11,600
editorial comments, in the end however,
how will we win over?
118
00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,780
There's a military component to it, but eventually,
119
00:11:15,780 --> 00:11:20,540
the final victory only comes through Christ.
120
00:11:20,540 --> 00:11:27,120
That's the only final victory. After 9-11 I remember writing a brief article
121
00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:32,240
that said that Islam is now, it's dead.
122
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:37,460
It's the end of Islam. And in the article my point was,
123
00:11:37,460 --> 00:11:41,100
because of what they've just done,
this religion will now be
124
00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:45,160
spotlighted in the world. People are going to talk about it. It's going to be debated.
125
00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:52,440
And the point is, until this religion was actually spotlighted and studied and debated,
126
00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,760
it could hide in these countries here.
127
00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:03,600
But once it came out into the view, once it could be studied and examined and criticized.
128
00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,560
Muslims are not allowed to criticize it. And they say we're not allowed to criticize it, but we can criticize it.
129
00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:10,900
We can examine it. We can hold it up to truth.
130
00:12:10,900 --> 00:12:14,520
It won't stand the test of time.
131
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:23,900
The Quran could never stand the onslaught of criticism, for example, that the Bible has withstood for two millennia.
132
00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:30,460
Every philosopher, every thinker,
how many ways has the Bible,
133
00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:35,560
have people attempted to destroy the scriptures, to eliminate them.
134
00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:38,400
It just keeps going and going and going. Why?
135
00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,660
Because of the innate quality of the scriptures.
136
00:12:42,660 --> 00:12:52,060
But the Quran could never suffer such criticism. That's why I said, it's the end. Now, maybe not in our life times,
137
00:12:52,060 --> 00:13:02,500
but give their ideas and give their holy books a hundred years of true academic scrutiny.
138
00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:11,720
They're not going to make it. The only reason that they use the violence is because they can't use persuasion.
139
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:16,240
You can't be persuaded to become a Muslim.
140
00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:25,100
When you are invited to actually examine the doctrines and what it says and how you should live, no.
141
00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:29,800
No. Somebody said
something very interesting the other day,
142
00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,580
"Islam is a philosophy masquerading as a religion."
143
00:13:33,580 --> 00:13:39,800
Yeah, absolutely. But as far as we're concerned,
144
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:47,680
the only way to win over, if you have a muslim neighbor, out love them.
145
00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:49,760
Out love them.
146
00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:53,220
We call, sometimes, Muslims, we call them on the idea.
147
00:13:53,220 --> 00:14:00,320
They say they're the religion of peace, but it seems that all the wars going on have been started by or continued
148
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,000
by people of this religion.
149
00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:09,180
Well, we say, we don't say, we're the religion of peace, we say, we're the religion of love.
150
00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:14,040
Let's not allow anyone to make the same
accusation against us
151
00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,360
that we make against them.
152
00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:21,440
If we're the religion of love, than we really have to love.
153
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,620
That's how we'll win.
154
00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:31,620
Number five, Christians have control over their tongues. Chapter 3, verses 1 to 18,
155
00:14:31,620 --> 00:14:39,185
If faith is evidenced by works then no works bare greater testimony to our faith than those
156
00:14:39,185 --> 00:14:41,180
generated by our speech.
157
00:14:41,180 --> 00:14:47,060
James says that the control of the tongue is the key to controlling the whole person,
158
00:14:47,060 --> 00:14:52,440
mind, body, and soul. If you can control your tongue,
159
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:58,980
it's a signal that you can control the other parts of your body as well. And if you can't control your own tongue,
160
00:14:58,980 --> 00:15:05,776
it's usually a tip-off that you're having trouble with self-control issues in other parts of your life as well.
161
00:15:05,776 --> 00:15:12,940
As far as churches are concerned, in my experience, more churches are destroyed by slander than false doctrine.
162
00:15:12,940 --> 00:15:19,280
There are more - very few church-splits over, do I believe that Jesus is the son of God?
163
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:26,320
Very few churches have split over that, but churches have split over gossip and false - slander,
164
00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,680
that type of thing.
165
00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:39,620
Then number six, Christians consider God first in all their affairs, especially their financial affairs.
166
00:15:39,620 --> 00:15:44,220
Chapter four, verse 13 to chapter five, verse 6.
167
00:15:44,220 --> 00:15:48,180
Let's face it, nothing is dearer to us than our pocketbooks. Therefore, to honor
168
00:15:48,180 --> 00:15:53,820
God with our pocketbooks, is to honor Him indeed.
169
00:15:53,820 --> 00:16:00,220
So finally James finishes his letter with a couple of post scripts in order to remind
170
00:16:00,220 --> 00:16:07,260
these brethren what they need to do in order to finish as Christians, finish their lives.
171
00:16:07,260 --> 00:16:14,300
They need to change to stay in the race and then they need the following things
172
00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:18,860
to finish the race. And that's where we begin.
173
00:16:18,860 --> 00:16:25,860
Chapter five, verse 7, the four PS's. You know, PS at the end of the letter. PS I love you. Four PS's from James.
174
00:16:25,860 --> 00:16:30,980
The first PS: patience.
175
00:16:30,980 --> 00:16:33,720
Patience, verse 7 and 8.
176
00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:38,280
He says, "Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
177
00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:45,280
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
178
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,320
You too be patient;
179
00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:52,400
strengthen your hearts, for the
coming of the Lord is near."
180
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:57,420
So the Lord is coming and when He does, He will reward those who have done good.
181
00:16:57,420 --> 00:17:00,460
And judge those who have done evil.
182
00:17:00,460 --> 00:17:04,960
He gives a farmer example. The farmer doesn't worry about the harvest.
183
00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:13,980
He knows that there's a period in between the planting and the reaping, and he's ready to wait.
184
00:17:13,980 --> 00:17:22,780
So don't be discouraged, if once you become a Christian, your growth is not as fast as you would like.
185
00:17:22,780 --> 00:17:26,620
The day I was baptized in November,
186
00:17:26,620 --> 00:17:33,080
1977, it would be really nice if in December I would have been exactly like Jesus.
187
00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,960
It didn't work that way.
188
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:45,420
It was a - it's been a long road and still a long way to go.
189
00:17:45,420 --> 00:17:50,760
Others who are doing wrong seem to be escaping punishment. Why is that?
190
00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,800
Sometimes that's pretty discouraging.
191
00:17:53,800 --> 00:18:00,500
Perhaps you're suffering and there's no end in sight. All those prayer requests.
192
00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,820
How many times has poor Mary had pneumonia?
193
00:18:04,820 --> 00:18:07,080
Boy, oh boy.
194
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,380
And Dave, our brother Dave.
195
00:18:11,380 --> 00:18:17,402
How many surgeries has he had? How much trouble? We're not talking months. We're talking years.
196
00:18:17,402 --> 00:18:19,240
We're talking a decade.
197
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:24,960
And you wonder, there's a good man, loves his family, loves the church. Why him?
198
00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:31,426
Why shouldn't some of these other rascals here, who have never done a good thing in their life,
199
00:18:31,426 --> 00:18:33,060
why are they doing okay?
200
00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:39,040
Be patient, he says. The Lord is near here. This is not an eschatological
201
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:44,799
statement, like, the Lord is near, He's coming. He'll be here. The Lord will return on April 12th.
202
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,560
That's not, the Lord is near.
203
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:53,680
It's a practical encouragement. The Lord is near, meaning, He hears, He sees.
204
00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,520
He'll come to your help. He's near you.
205
00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:03,383
In verse 9 to 11, he says, "Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may
206
00:19:03,383 --> 00:19:08,480
not be judged; behold the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example,
207
00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,240
brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
208
00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,240
We count those blessed who endured.
209
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:20,540
You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings,
210
00:19:20,540 --> 00:19:23,500
that the Lord is full of compassion and
211
00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:31,040
is merciful. So if this be so, he says, in other words,
212
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:37,300
the Lord is near. He hear's you. He knows what's going on. If that's true,
213
00:19:37,300 --> 00:19:43,280
James says, then don't complain about each other.
214
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,060
God is watching what you do.
215
00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:51,660
If you're complaining about a brother, he says, stop. Don't do that.
216
00:19:51,660 --> 00:20:00,940
Let God be the judge. Your job is to love the brother, not to judge the brother. A lot of times the problem is,
217
00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:08,860
with this brother or with this sister, it looks like the degree of difficulty to love this person has just gone up considerably.
218
00:20:08,860 --> 00:20:10,220
That's the attitude.
219
00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:16,089
It's not uh oh, well, I've got a lot to say about this person. Wow man, let me tell you about this person.
220
00:20:16,089 --> 00:20:20,480
That's not the attitude. He's saying, don't do that.
221
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:27,540
He's saying, if you do that, God will judge you for it.
222
00:20:27,540 --> 00:20:33,500
We can judge sin, not people.
223
00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:41,120
No one suffered like Job, and yet, Job was patient and God blessed him double, right? Job 42.
224
00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:42,500
Why?
225
00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:46,040
Because he waited on the Lord.
226
00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:54,600
He remained a good man, a holy man, and he waited. So be patient. First PS, be patient.
227
00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:59,380
Second PS, purity of heart.
228
00:20:59,380 --> 00:21:05,530
Purity of heart. Verse 14 he says, "But above all my brethren, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other
229
00:21:05,530 --> 00:21:14,420
oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no. So that you may not fall under judgment."
230
00:21:14,420 --> 00:21:19,100
Same exhortation that Jesus gives in Matthew 5:37.
231
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:25,220
Sincerity in what they say.
Their heart matches their mouths.
232
00:21:25,220 --> 00:21:34,380
Some say yes to Jesus with their mouths, but they say no to Him with their actions,
233
00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:40,000
A lot of Christians, they're yes/no Christians. Yes to Christ when it suits them.
234
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,220
No to Christ when He interferes.
235
00:21:42,220 --> 00:21:48,240
He interferes with their comfort, their routine, their traditions, their money, their pleasure, their friends,
236
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:54,060
their whatever. The Lord tends to interfere with us.
237
00:21:54,060 --> 00:21:58,600
In Revelation chapter three, verse 14, what does he say, "To the angel of the church at Laodicea write:
238
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:05,940
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God says this: "I know your deeds,
239
00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:10,140
that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
240
00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:18,680
So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of My mouth."
241
00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:25,880
This is straight from Jesus. We need to take this into consideration.
242
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,880
Why does He say, I wish you were hot or cold?
243
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:34,659
I wish you were extra zealous for me or against me. At least you believe in something,
244
00:22:34,659 --> 00:22:36,160
you're all in on something.
245
00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:44,760
Like Saul. Saul was hot. He was hot. He was against Jesus. I can work with that guy.
246
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:46,220
I can work with him.
247
00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:52,100
Or cold, I don't know anything about religion, and I can't be convinced. I'm cold. I have no opinion.
248
00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:58,820
I'm dead to it. Well, I can work with that guy, too. That guy, I can show him things.
249
00:22:58,820 --> 00:23:07,620
Maybe light a fire under him. But He says the lukewarm one, you can't do anything with that guy.
250
00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:12,140
He knows the talk. He knows the routine.
251
00:23:12,140 --> 00:23:14,700
She knows the routine,
252
00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:19,760
but never gets really hot for the Lord.
253
00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:28,000
So real Christians, he says, they say yes with their heart, yes with their lips and yes with their action.
254
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,480
How do you know?
255
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:35,140
Can I give you a tip on how to get there?
256
00:23:35,140 --> 00:23:38,700
I'm not saying that I'm there yet, but I've
257
00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:46,000
figure out, at least, the road that kind of gets you there, this business here.
258
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:52,760
Try to be completely honest with yourself.
259
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:59,460
Try to be completed - I mean,
make an experiment out of it.
260
00:23:59,460 --> 00:24:05,000
Try to, at least, tell yourself the truth.
261
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:12,600
Something happens, a situation, whatever, that's gone a little squirrelly, and you're reviewing it and
262
00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:21,420
if you were dishonest, tell yourself that. I mean, say it to yourself.
263
00:24:21,420 --> 00:24:28,160
I'm reviewing everything and when I said this, that just wasn't true what I just said. It wasn't true.
264
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:35,820
It sounded true, and it was close to the truth, but it wasn't true. I lied.
265
00:24:35,820 --> 00:24:39,940
That's where you get - that's how you get to hot.
266
00:24:39,940 --> 00:24:44,900
You start telling yourself the truth.
267
00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:49,420
That's what breaks down the facade and it
268
00:24:49,420 --> 00:24:57,360
strips you down to who you are so that God can work with you. But imagine if you lie to yourself.
269
00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:05,960
Who can get to you, if you're lying to yourself?
270
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:10,000
PS number three, prayer.
271
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,580
Prayer.
272
00:25:11,580 --> 00:25:16,880
Let's read verse 13 and 14. He says, "Is anyone among you suffering, then he must pray."
273
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:22,760
Notice he doesn't say, then it would be nice if he prayed, it would be okay. Maybe he should pray. No.
274
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,299
He said, he must pray. Must. "Is anyone Cheerful?
275
00:25:27,299 --> 00:25:34,729
He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he was called for the elders of the church and they are
276
00:25:34,729 --> 00:25:40,900
to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." In the world when people are happy,
277
00:25:40,900 --> 00:25:49,340
what do they do? They celebrate. They eat, they drink, they fornicate. It's what they do. Let's celebrate. Party.
278
00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:54,740
And when they're sad, they cry,
they're depressed, they pout.
279
00:25:54,740 --> 00:25:59,840
Nothing good ever happens to me. Or they're stoic.
280
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,980
When they're sick, they cry, they take medicine,
they pout.
281
00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:07,400
Because they can't celebrate.
282
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:16,560
But in Christ, Christians react differently. When they're happy, they praise God in prayer and song.
283
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:21,100
I don't mean we can't, let's celebrate.
284
00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:26,720
But our go-to position is prayer. God, thank you.
285
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:33,520
When we're sad, what do we do? We pray to God for comfort, for wisdom.
286
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:35,740
And when we're sick,
287
00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:41,980
what do we do? We pray to God to help us. To give us strength, to bear under, to be restored.
288
00:26:41,980 --> 00:26:45,900
Why is that? Because prayer has power.
289
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,000
Power.
290
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:54,580
That's not just a saying on a poster, "prayer has power."
291
00:26:54,580 --> 00:27:00,980
In verse 15 to 18 he gives an example of this, he says, "and the prayer offered in faith
292
00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:06,336
will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins,
293
00:27:06,336 --> 00:27:07,850
they will be forgiven him.
294
00:27:07,850 --> 00:27:10,960
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and
295
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:14,853
pray for one another so that you may be healed.
296
00:27:14,853 --> 00:27:19,740
The effective prayer of a righteous man
can accomplish much.
297
00:27:19,740 --> 00:27:22,490
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
298
00:27:22,490 --> 00:27:29,640
and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
299
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:37,400
Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit."
300
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,280
So God answers prayer in healing,
301
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:48,140
because every healing is God's work. Whether man recognizes it or not.
302
00:27:48,140 --> 00:27:57,640
And God answers prayer in forgiving sin. Christians who sin ask for forgiveness, how? In prayer.
303
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:04,654
Non-Christians ask how? Through baptism. First Peter 3:21. Now baptism, what is it?
304
00:28:04,654 --> 00:28:07,780
Appeal to God for a clear conscience.
305
00:28:07,780 --> 00:28:13,040
God answers prayers for all the physical needs. I mean, Elijah asked for rain.
306
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,480
James could have listed a whole bunch of examples,
307
00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:22,200
but he picked one that would be familiar to Jews.
308
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:30,660
The point I'm getting to is that the life of a Christian is a life of prayer.
309
00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:33,820
When we're happy, we pray.
310
00:28:33,820 --> 00:28:39,182
When we're sad, we pray. When we're sick, we pray. When we're in need, we pray.
311
00:28:39,182 --> 00:28:42,780
Is there something missing in your life? Pray for it.
312
00:28:42,780 --> 00:28:51,959
I go back to Islam again. I'm not on a harangue for Islam. That wasn't part of this thing here,
313
00:28:51,959 --> 00:29:02,740
but they always make this show of a great spirituality because they are forced to pray five times a day.
314
00:29:02,740 --> 00:29:06,400
They make a big show out of it because even in prison
315
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:13,240
they have to mark in the prison cell which way is east, which way is Mecca.
316
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,259
And they make bones about in schools,
317
00:29:16,260 --> 00:29:20,769
we have to have our prayer room because we have to pray five times a day.
318
00:29:20,769 --> 00:29:27,750
And sometimes I hear Christians say, well, that's a pretty spiritual people.
319
00:29:27,750 --> 00:29:32,060
And I'm not saying that they're not sincere in doing this, I'm just saying, wait a minute,
320
00:29:32,060 --> 00:29:38,260
you think five times a day is, like, a lot?
321
00:29:38,260 --> 00:29:44,060
You think five times a day is a lot? Not that much.
322
00:29:44,060 --> 00:29:49,820
I don't know about you, but the first thing that happens in my day, the alarm clock goes off 10 a.m.
323
00:29:49,820 --> 00:29:51,460
No, I'm just kidding.
324
00:29:51,460 --> 00:29:58,220
But the alarm clock goes off and I turn the alarm off and when I swing out of bed,
325
00:29:58,220 --> 00:30:03,200
and your feet hit - you sit on the side of the bed for a moment just to get your bearings there,
326
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,600
that's my first prayer of the day.
327
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:08,620
Right there.
328
00:30:08,620 --> 00:30:14,440
First prayer of the day. And the first prayer of the day, you know what it's for?
329
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,140
It's for you.
330
00:30:17,140 --> 00:30:21,900
Every day I pray for one of you.
331
00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:29,600
Every day. That's just the first one. And then my time I get to breakfast, what happens before we eat?
332
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,500
Lise and I have a prayer.
333
00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:37,700
And then throughout the day, same thing that happens. Another prayer.
334
00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:40,700
And then I received good news,
335
00:30:40,700 --> 00:30:44,720
Julia, the kids, they're moving back. Oh well, put the phone down, Lord,
336
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:49,010
thank you. I didn't get down on my knees with the prayer carpet facing Jerusalem.
337
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:57,740
I just put the phone down for a moment and just in my mind, God, oh You're so wonderful. Thank you. Finally.
338
00:30:57,740 --> 00:31:01,680
How many are we up to now, before lunch even?
339
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,140
You get the idea.
340
00:31:04,140 --> 00:31:10,260
And then I hear that brother so and so at the hospital, or dear sister Copeland. Celestia:
341
00:31:10,260 --> 00:31:16,740
Hey, Mike, guess what's happened? Sister Carlene has just passed away suddenly.
342
00:31:16,740 --> 00:31:20,800
Another prayer. And then lunch, another prayer. And then the afternoon, another prayer.
343
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:23,680
Then there's my prayer time with my Bible
and prayer time.
344
00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,640
And then there's prayer before supper, and there's a prayer before going to bed.
345
00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,700
I mean, we've blown past the five times here.
346
00:31:29,700 --> 00:31:35,380
And it has not even been a heavy prayer day. Not even been a church day.
347
00:31:35,380 --> 00:31:37,900
You see what I'm saying.
348
00:31:37,900 --> 00:31:47,370
Prayer isn't like, the sun's up and then when the sun is there you have to pray. Not the life of a Christian.
349
00:31:47,370 --> 00:31:51,280
Prayer is an ongoing part of my and your life,
350
00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:56,180
because it's the substance of my relationship with God.
351
00:31:56,180 --> 00:32:02,840
He's there. I'm here. I'm awake. I'm conscious of Him, and He's conscious of me, and so all day long
352
00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:10,700
I'm going back and forth.
353
00:32:10,700 --> 00:32:19,830
And then finally the last one, pause for serious reflection. Verse 19,
354
00:32:19,830 --> 00:32:26,040
he says, "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,"
355
00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,840
so it is possible to be saved here and
356
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,460
to be in Christ, and then be lost again, because that's what he says here,
357
00:32:34,460 --> 00:32:37,540
"if any among you strays from the truth and
358
00:32:37,540 --> 00:32:41,160
one turns him back,"
359
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,100
How does this happen?
360
00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:44,740
We lose our way.
361
00:32:44,740 --> 00:32:49,420
We lose our way when after having made a mistake, instead of going back,
362
00:32:49,420 --> 00:32:53,260
we make it worse by doubling down on our mistake.
363
00:32:53,260 --> 00:32:58,039
That's how you really get lost. You know, when you're driving and you make a wrong turn and another turn and your wife says to
364
00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:04,000
you, well, let's, maybe look at the map. Nah, I will just keep going until we find our way.
365
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,200
We do that in life sometimes. We make a mistake. We say something stupid. We lie.
366
00:33:08,210 --> 00:33:11,149
We get too close to a temptation. All of a sudden,
367
00:33:11,149 --> 00:33:16,339
it's got a grip on us and instead of saying, I'm in trouble. I need to go back.
368
00:33:16,340 --> 00:33:25,560
We say, well, I can handle it. And we just, like quicksand, we go down, down, down, down.
369
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:34,000
So a good way to tell how far away from God you are is to examine how near you are
370
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:40,340
to His word and to His will and to His people. How far am I away from God?
371
00:33:40,340 --> 00:33:46,400
Well, how close am I to His word and doing His will and close to His people?
372
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:52,860
Because if I'm far from His word and His will and His people, then I'm far from Him.
373
00:33:52,860 --> 00:33:55,780
And so, in verse 20 he says,
374
00:33:55,780 --> 00:34:02,020
"Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death."
375
00:34:02,020 --> 00:34:06,960
Anybody who thinks you can never be lost has not read James 5:20.
376
00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,200
He's saying, if a brother is straying away, and someone goes out to get him and brings him back,
377
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:17,780
what has he done? He saved this brother from death.
378
00:34:17,780 --> 00:34:21,940
From being lost.
379
00:34:21,940 --> 00:34:30,020
Save his soul from death,
and will cover a multitude of sins.
380
00:34:30,020 --> 00:34:32,000
We don't have a lot of time.
381
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,350
Just just a few things.
382
00:34:33,350 --> 00:34:36,060
If you see your brother, if you're in that situation,
383
00:34:36,060 --> 00:34:41,060
if you're the one reaching out to bring that brother or sister back, a few things to remember.
384
00:34:41,060 --> 00:34:46,980
If you see your brother letting go, help him, gently,
to return.
385
00:34:46,980 --> 00:34:54,400
If you neglect to do so, who will go and get you when and if you begin to fall?
386
00:34:54,400 --> 00:35:03,060
And don't be angry or defensive if you're the one drifting and somebody goes out there and gets you.
387
00:35:03,060 --> 00:35:12,600
Don't go away mad at the preacher or the brother or the church if you're corrected in some error or in some fault.
388
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:19,040
Because as Christians, we all make mistakes. So we need to expect that someday, somehow, somebody,
389
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:24,580
will have to correct you. It's happened to me.
I've been corrected.
390
00:35:24,580 --> 00:35:29,940
I've had brethren come to my house and say, brother, what you did, this was wrong.
391
00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:32,120
They did it gently. They did it in love.
392
00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:37,300
But they did it, and I wasn't happy at the moment. When I sat there and thought about it for a while,
393
00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:41,100
talk to myself, tell myself the truth,
394
00:35:41,100 --> 00:35:45,580
they were right and I was wrong.
395
00:35:45,580 --> 00:35:52,480
And then, of course, be happy and humble yourself if you're in the wrong,
396
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:58,440
realizing that your soul is being saved from death and that you're being preserved from going
397
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,720
further into sin and darkness.
398
00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:03,280
Be thankful.
399
00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:11,300
So James closes his letter with four PS's that are applicable to our situation, as well, today. Number one,
400
00:36:11,300 --> 00:36:17,200
persevere. The Lord is near you, whatever the hardship, the low, the discouragement, don't give up following Him
401
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,480
and obeying Him.
402
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:25,360
Remember I've said it before, the crown of life is for the one who finishes faithfully. It's not for the starters.
403
00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,300
You don't get the crown at the beginning. You get the crown at the end.
404
00:36:29,300 --> 00:36:32,260
Anybody can start.
405
00:36:32,260 --> 00:36:40,020
Anybody can start. It's finishing that is difficult. And it doesn't matter how fast you run in this race.
406
00:36:40,020 --> 00:36:44,580
What's important is if you finish or not.
407
00:36:44,580 --> 00:36:51,800
Secondly, pure in heart. Be firm in your commitment. Be a "yes" Christian. Even when it costs you something.
408
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:56,480
After all, it cost Jesus His life, in order for you to be a Christian in the first place.
409
00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:04,080
Why do we complain if being His disciple costs us something from time to time?
410
00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:05,290
Number three, pray.
411
00:37:05,290 --> 00:37:13,700
If Elijah asked for it to stop raining and God answered his prayer, can He not find you a job?
412
00:37:13,700 --> 00:37:20,740
Can He not help you to be happy? Can He not find you a solution to your problem?
413
00:37:20,740 --> 00:37:29,900
Pray with faith and then wait.
414
00:37:29,900 --> 00:37:34,400
Lise and I, we waited seven years.
415
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:44,900
We prayed with faith. We knew if God wanted, He could open the door for a job for our son-in-law here in Oklahoma, like that.
416
00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:50,820
He could do it. We had no doubt that He could do it. We didn't understand, where's the problem here?
417
00:37:50,820 --> 00:37:55,520
We're all going to be together. We're all faithful. We're all going to be in this congregation.
418
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,220
We're all going to love each other
419
00:37:57,220 --> 00:38:00,180
There's no downside to them being there -
420
00:38:00,180 --> 00:38:03,200
to them being here.
421
00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:07,060
Seven years, but that prayer got answered.
422
00:38:07,060 --> 00:38:13,340
So pray, and then wait on the Lord.
423
00:38:13,340 --> 00:38:17,220
And then, finally, pause. Be careful.
You could lose your way.
424
00:38:17,230 --> 00:38:21,800
It's happened to other people. And if you do, thank God for the person who has the love
425
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:26,140
and the courage to correct you
and bring you back again.
426
00:38:26,140 --> 00:38:30,260
I add a fifth one just to close up my lesson
and the series,
427
00:38:30,260 --> 00:38:34,300
put the lessons into action.
428
00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:36,920
Don't just hear and understand the lessons that I've taught in the last 10 weeks.
429
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:43,520
They will profit you only if you do them.
430
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:48,300
And we finish with one scripture, Matthew Chapter 7,
431
00:38:48,300 --> 00:38:51,860
Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven,
432
00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:56,860
but he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven will enter.
433
00:38:56,860 --> 00:38:58,880
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
434
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:05,100
did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?
435
00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:14,500
And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who do practice lawlessness.'
436
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:21,480
Let's not just be "yes" Christians. Let's be "yes and do" Christians. All right, that's the end of -
437
00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:26,180
We can say a lot more about the book of James. Start it over again, find a lot more good stuff,
438
00:39:26,180 --> 00:39:30,700
but for now, those are the lessons. I appreciate everybody being
439
00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:33,300
faithful to the Wednesday night class.
440
00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:37,180
We'll see you next quarter.